rifle

¹ American  

[rahy-fuhl] / ˈraɪ fəl /

noun

1. a shoulder firearm with spiral grooves cut in the inner surface of the gun barrel to give the bullet a rotatory motion and thus a more precise trajectory.

2. one of the grooves.

3. a cannon with such grooves.

4. Often Rifles any of certain military units or bodies equipped with rifles.

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verb (used with object)

rifled, rifling

1. to cut spiral grooves within (a gun barrel, pipe, etc.).

2. to propel (a ball) at high speed, as by throwing or hitting with a bat.

rifle ² American  

[rahy-fuhl] / ˈraɪ fəl /

verb (used with object)

rifled, rifling

1. to ransack and rob (a place, receptacle, etc.).

2. to search and rob (a person).

3. to plunder or strip bare.

4. to steal or take away.

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rifle ¹ British  

/ ˈraɪfəl /

noun

1. 1. a firearm having a long barrel with a spirally grooved interior, which imparts to the bullet spinning motion and thus greater accuracy over a longer range

   2. ( as modifier )

      rifle fire

2. (formerly) a large cannon with a rifled bore

3. one of the grooves in a rifled bore

4. (plural)

   1. a unit of soldiers equipped with rifles

   2. ( capital when part of a name )

      the Rifle Brigade

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verb

1. to cut or mould spiral grooves inside the barrel of (a gun)

2. to throw or hit (a ball) with great speed

rifle ² British  

/ ˈraɪfəl /

verb

1. to search (a house, safe, etc) and steal from it; ransack

2. to steal and carry off

   to rifle goods from a shop

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Related Words

See rob.

Other Word Forms

• rifler noun

Etymology

Origin of rifle¹

An Americanism dating back to 1745–55; from Low German rīfeln “to groove,” derivative of rīve, riefe “groove, flute, furrow”; akin to Old English rifelede “wrinkled”

Origin of rifle²

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English rifel, from Old French rifler “to scratch, strip, plunder”

Example Sentences

Shooting seasons also restrict when some types of deer can be hunted, and there are strict rules around the type of rifles and ammunition that can be used to hunt them.

From BBC

Some are never given a rifle again and are condemned instead to cleaning and endless drills.

From The Wall Street Journal

The filing also noted that Kemp was a gun enthusiast who posted videos of himself purchasing a rifle, leaving Bryant to feel unsafe.

From Los Angeles Times

On the other hand, if the parts of a flintlock rifle were interchangeable, a soldier could repair his weapon without the need for a gunsmith.

From The Wall Street Journal

The last time the bear left was Sunday, he said, to rifle through his trash cans for 20 minutes before returning to the crawl space.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• rip